Despite the controversy over the massive number of houses being torn down in Vancouver, I notice remarkably little graffiti or outward signs of protest as I walk past all the demolition sites. But one day last summer as I passed a doomed house I had always treasured for its country feel and fine trees, I noticed some words scrawled on the construction sign. They were so faint I recorded them in a notebook: "Getting tired of seeing orange fencing and marble walls instead of white picket fences and bushes," they read. "F--- this." When I walked past the lot on Friday, I photographed the new house being built there. I don't know whether the walls will be marble or not, but it's so big, there's not much room left for even bushes on the site.
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| Vancouver's old homes are disappearing fast, and not everyone is happy about it. This photo was taken last summer, before someone scrawled a sad message on the construction sign. |
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| The orange sheeting in the windows is protection against asbestos for demolition workers. |
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| I always liked the big trees and country feel of this place. |
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| What the lot looks like today. According to the sign, it's a dream home. |
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| There's not much room left on the lot for trees or a garden. Most new houses are built to the maximum allowable size. |
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| This house is in a different area of the city, but I was interested that someone had bothered to get a front-gate plaque engraved that reads: "No realtors, No salespersons." |
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